BIDAR

INTRODUCTION

Bidar situated in the northern most part of Karnataka is at an altitude of 2,200 feet above sea level on a plateau overlooking the Manjira river valley. During the 15th century Bidar was the capital of the Bahmani rulers. A visit to this historical town will help us in getting to know the historical lineage of Bidar along with the various tourist destinations. Apart from the wonders of tourist interests Bidar also has a pleasant climate throughout the year.

HISTORY

Bidar gained popularity mainly during the rule of Ahmad Shah Bahman (1423-1436 A.D) in 1429 who belonged to the Bahamani dynasty and it was he laid the foundations for the Bidar fort. The beauty and the weather of Bidar made Ahmad Shah Bahman build a new city near the old fortress and also he named it as Ahmadabad-Bidar.The year 1538 witnessed the collapse of the Bahmani dynasty leading to five independent sultanates during which Bidar came under the Barid Shahi dynasty. After a period of time in 1619, Bidar was taken by the Bijapur Sultanate, only to be captured again in 1686 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.The Nizam of Hyderabad's took over Bidar and it was under their control from 1724 to 1948 and it became a part of the erstwhile Hyderabad state till it was portioned in 1956 on linguistic basis. After the partition Bidar became a part of Karnataka.

LOCATION

Bidar is located in the northeastern part of the state of Karnataka, in the southern region of India. It is 669 km from Bangalore and 136 km from Hyderabad. It is located 2,200 feet above sea level on a plateau overlooking the Manjira river valley.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The best time to visit Bidar is between October and March.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Veerabhadreshwara Jatra

This is a local annual fair held in the months of January-February and it goes for a period of seven days. During the Veerabhadreshwara Jatra thousands of devotees throng to Humnabad.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Bidar Fort

Bidar Fort is located in the heart of the town and was built by 1428 by Ahmed Shah Bahmani.The fort takes up a high ridge of land which is enclosed by double rings of wall with nearly five Darwazas.A part of this castle is partly carved out of bedrock. The fort houses the ancient city of the Bahamani dynasty along with its palaces, monuments and structures. Of all, the Rangin Mahal palace is a wonderful monument built in the 16th century by Ali Shah Barid.The main attraction of this Rangin Mahal is the wooden columns displaying ornate brackets and beams. There is also a walled garden, Lal Bagh close to the Rangin Mahal with a central lobe-fringed pool. Adjacent to the Lal Bagh is the Takht Mahal.

Tombs of Bahmani Rulers

The tombs of Bahmani rulers in Ashtur, Bidar were erected from 1436 to 1535. The most attractive one are that of the ninth and tenth Bahmani rulers, Ahmad Shah I and Allauddin Shah II. Where the tomb of the former has dome and goes upto a height of 30m high. The interior of these tombs are done up very well by eye catching colours and paintings.

Tombs of the Barid Shahis

Among the Barid Shahis, tomb of the Ali Shah Barid was the largest. This is built within a square shaped garden and is a domed chamber where the tomb is about 25m high. The panels above these arches have beautifully inlaid mosaic tiles. But however the tombs of the Bahmani Rulers were much grander than that of the tombs of the Barid Shahis.

Madrassa of Mahmud Gawan

Madrassa of Mahmud Gawan was once a renowned centre of learning in the stream of Persian, Arabic, philosophy, theology and mathematics. This centre of Islamic learning was built in 1472 by the then Prime Minister, Khwaja Mohammad Gawan during the period of the Bahamani ruler Muhammad-III.Now this huge three-storey building accommodates a mosque, a laboratory, lecture halls, quarters for the teaching faculty and a students' hostel.

Chaubara

Chaubara is an observation post situated in the heart of the town which gives a splendid and a commanding view of the entire city when seen from here. This tower is cylindrical and it is about 71-feet-tall.

Takhti-i-Kirmani

Takhti-i-Kirmani is an ancient town with a fortification consisting of an embankment, with a parapet built on top. The other main feature of the Takhti-i-Kirmani or the gateway which belongs to the 15th century is ornamented with bands of foliate and arabesque design.

Guru Nank Jhira

It is a beautiful gurudwara. It is located at the same place where Guru Nanak stayed during his second missionary tour of India. Meanwhile there was acute shortage of drinking water. Seeing the misery of people Guru Nanak performed a miracle and created a spring of fresh water from the rocks. Nobody knows where from the water is coming.

Basavakalyan

Basavakalyan situated at a distance of 80kms from Bidar was once the capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas from 1050 to 1195.It is also noted in the history for it was the birth place of 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara who worked for upliftment of the Poor.

Humnabad

Humnabad is situated at a distance of about 52kms from Bidar and it is one of the famous pilgrimage destinations for the Hindus.Humnabad houses the famous ancient temple of Lord Veerabhadreshwara.There is a local annual fair held in the months of January-February and it goes for a period of seven days. During the Veerabhadreshwara Jatra thousands of devotees throng to Humnabad.

The Solah Kambah Masjid as it is popularly known, is the oldest Muslim building in Bidar and one of the largest in India. The other places of interest in Bidar includes the Gagan Mahal, the Diwan-E-Am where the fabulous turquoise throne once rested, the takhat Mahal, the Royal Pavilion, the Hazar Kothari and the Naubat Khana.

SHOPPING

Bidar is famous for handicraft and art.Bidar is also very famous for Bidriware which can be easily identified by its blackened surface, on which highly intricate floral and geometric silver inlay work has been done. Here are the names of popular shops in this area